Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Activation Energy (E<sub>a</sub>)
Activation energy is the minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It represents the energy barrier that reactants must overcome to transform into products. A low activation energy, like the 6.3 kJ/mol in this reaction, indicates that the reaction can proceed easily, often leading to faster reaction rates.
Recommended video:
Arrhenius Equation
The Arrhenius equation relates the rate constant of a reaction to its activation energy and temperature. It is expressed as k = A * e^(-E<sub>a</sub>/RT), where k is the rate constant, A is the pre-exponential factor, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin. A high pre-exponential factor (A = 6.0⨉10<sup>8</sup>/(M s)) suggests that the reaction has a high frequency of effective collisions, contributing to a faster reaction rate.
Recommended video:
Bimolecular Reactions
Bimolecular reactions involve two reactant molecules colliding to form products. The rate of bimolecular reactions is typically dependent on the concentration of both reactants. In this case, the reaction between NO and F<sub>2</sub> is bimolecular, and the low activation energy indicates that the collision between these two species is energetically favorable, facilitating the reaction.
Recommended video:
Molecularity in Reactions